Girdle with auxiliary abdominal support



April 13, 1965 E. POPP GIRDLE WITH AUXILIARY ABDOMINAL SUPPORT 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 13, 1963 INVENTOR 56 72-215 POPP BY 2ATTORNEY April 13, 1965 E. POPP 3,177,877

GIRDLE WITH AUXILIARY ABDOMINAL SUPPORT Filed March 13, 1965 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 57544 E POP/ BY%7M A TTOIP/VE Y April 13, 1965E. POPP GIRDLE WITH AUXILIARY ABDOMINAL SUPPORT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 FiledMarch 13, 1963 INVENTOR. E STELZ E POP/9' 4 BY 2 United States Patent. O

3,177,877 GIRDLE WITH AUXILIARY ABDOMINAL SUPPQRT Estelle Popp, NewYork, N.Y., assignor to Benjamin & Johnes, Incorporated, Newark, N.J., acorporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 264,903 2Claims. (Cl. 128'-547) This invention relates in general tobody-encircling garments and more particularly to a so-called boneless,pullon girdle of either the waistline, high-top or panty type, or to anall-in-one corselet.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a bodyencircling garmentand particularly a girdle which includes a main portion endless orcontinuous circumferentially and has at least portions thereofelastically expandible and contractible so that the girdle can be pulledonto the body with the elastic portions yielding or stretching until thegarment has reached the desired point on the body whereupon the elasticportions will hold the garment in the desired position and with thedesired yielding support of the body, and auxiliary means connected tosaid main portion for drawing or tightening the garment around the body,particularly in the front zone or abdominal portion so as to provide anadditional or auxiliary support for the abdominal wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a girdle wherein theauxiliary abdominal-supporting means shall include a novel and improvedconstruction and combination of a plurality of sections connected to themain portion of the girdle and separably connected together by a slidefastener, whereby after the girdle has been pulled onto the body, theabdominal supporting means can be placed under tension by closing of theslide fastener and thereby provide auxiliary support for the abdominalwall.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will be broughtout by the following description. in conjunction With the accompanyingdrawings in which FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a girdleembodying the invention, showing schematically the garment in useposition on the body with the slide fastener closed and the abdominalsupport drawn tightly against the ab-.

dominal wall; 7

FIGURE 2 is a similar view with the slide fastener in open position andwith the abdominal support released;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged front elevation of the girdle in flattenedcondition with the auxiliary abdominal support in the same condition asshown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a similar .view showing the abdominal supporting means inthe same condition as shown in FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan View of the girdle from the plane of the line 5-5of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a similar view from the plane of the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view on theplane of the line 77 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 8 is a similar view on the plane of the line 8-8 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the front portionof the garment taken on the plane of the line 9-9 of FIGURE 3.

While the invention may be embodied in diiferent articles and differenttypes of body-encircling garments, the invention has been shown in agenerally known type of so-called boneless, pull-on girdle whichincludes a front panel A and a rear panel B and two side panels C thatare stitched together to provide a circumferentially endless orcontinuous main portion.

The rear panel comprises a central section 1 formed of material thatiselastic only longitudinally of the gar ment, that is, from the top edgeto the bottom edge, but is non-elastic laterally or circumferentially ofthe garment; and two flank sections 3 each of which is elastic bothlongitudinally and circumferentially of the garment, the central sectionand the flank section being stitched together by longitudinal lines ofstitches 4.

The side panels C are elastic longitudinally of the garment butnon-elastic circumferentially of the garment and are secured tothe flanksections 3 of the rear panel by lines of stitches 5. The side panels Care connected to the front panel A by lines of stitches 6, and the frontpanel comprises two sections 7 and 8 that are formed of fabric that iselastic both longitudinally and circumferentially of the garment; andthe two sections'are secured together by a seam 9 of known construction.As usual, the lines of stitches 4, 5 and 6 are such as to permit thestretching of the fabric sections which are connected by the stitches,but preferably the seam 9 is non-stretchable both circumferentially andlongitudinally of'the garment, the seam as shown comprising theoverlapped edges of the two sections 7 and 8 that are overlaid by a tape10 which is secured to the edge portions of both ofthe sections 7 and 8by longitudinal lines of stitches 11.

It will be observed that the main portion of the girdle constructed asdescribed can be pulled onto the body,

the elastic sections providing sufficient expansibility orstretchability of the garment andalso drawing the garmcnt into tightfitting engagement with the body from a point below the hips to thewaistline or above, the inherent elasticity of the main portion of thegarment also providing a certain amount of support for the abdominalwall..

The present invention contemplates an auxiliary abdominal support whichis constructed in such a way as not to interfere with the easyapplication of the garment to the body but which will provide additionaltension and support in the zone of the abdominal wall and which can bebrought into abdominal-supporting action or position by a simple zip orsliding of the slider of a slide fastener.

i As shown, this auxiliary abdominal support D cornprises two sections12 and 13 one edge of each of which extending longitudinally of thegirdle is secured by a line of stitches 14 to one of the sections 7 or 8of the front panel. The other longitudinal edges of the sections 12 and13 are normally unconnected from the top edge of the garment to a pointintermediate the upper-and lower edges of the garment, preferablyadjacent the lower edge of the garment so as to normally provide anapproximately V-shaped gap between those edges as shown in FIG- URES 2and 4.

In accordance with the invention, said edges are connectible anddisconnectible by a quick acting fastener such as a slide fastener whichin the present instance is shown as comprising complemental slidefastener tapes 15 and 16 one of which is connected to the free edge ofeach of the sections 12 and 13, for example, by lines of stitches 17,and has at its edge a plurality of fastener elements 18 of known typethat are adapted to engage and disengage similar elements on the othertape upon movement of a slider 19 of known type longitudinally of therows of fastener elements.

The sections 12 and 13 of the auxiliary abdominal support arenon-elastic or substantially non-stretchable in all directions but arepreferably shaped and stitched to the front sections of the garmentalong the lines 14 so that when the main portion of the garment isstretched circumferentially, with the slide fastener released, thedisconnected edges of the sections 12 and 13 will be pulled apart,especially when the garment is pulled onto the body as shown in FIGURE2, and the proportions and shape of the sections ofthe abdominal supportare such that upon pulling of the slider upwardly on the garment theslide fastener is gradually closed and the auxiliary abdominal supportsections are drawn toward each other circumferentially'of the garmentand body so as to thereby apply circumferential tension to the garmentin such a way as to flatten and support the abdominal wall. It

will be notedthat when the slide fastener is closed as shown in FIGURE1, the portion of the front panel of the garment that is overlaid by theabdominal support sections 12 and 13whileremaining elastic and taut onthe body, is substantially non-stretchable due to the nonstretchabilityof the sections 12 and 13 so as to'provide a firm support for theabdominal wall, while at thesarne time permitting free stretching of theother portions of the garment.

Itis, of course, important that the auxiliary abdominal;

support portions be of such shape and size that when the garmentis inits normal non-stretchedcondition, the;

free edgeportions of the abdominal support sections are in'closeproximity to each other and unconnected, for

example, as shown in FIGURE 3, while when the upper portionparticularlyof the garment is stretched circum It will be noted that a binding andfinishing strip is stitched to the upper edge portion of the garment anda similar strip 21 is stitched to the lower edge of the. garment, but,of course, these structural details form no, part of the invention.

While the invention has been shown as embodiedin' certain specificstructural details, it should be understood that the details ofconstruction of the invention may be modified and changed and theinvention may be embodied in other circumferentially stretchablearticles or garments, all within the spirit and scope of the invention;

I claim: e

1. A body-encircling garment including a circumferentially continuousexpandible and contractible main portion having upper and lower ends anda front zone that is expandible and contractible both longitudinally andcircumferentially of the main portion, and an auxiliary abdominalsupport'comprising two non-stretchable sections in partiallyoverlying'relation to said frontzone, each connected continuously alongone edge to said main portion between said upper and lower ends andhaving an opposite edge connected to, said-main portion from the upperend to a point between said upper and lower ends and otherwise free ofsaid main portion and free from the corresponding edge of the othersection, the secondmentioned edges of said sections being normallypulled away. from each otherfrom, said point to the upper end of themain portion upon expansion of the main portion, and a fastener means topull and connect said secondmentioned edges together and thereby limitstretching of said main portion between the points of connection theretoof said sectionsof the auxiliary, abdominal support while saidsecond-mentioned edges are connected and at the same timeexertaflattening action ontheabdominal wall of the wearer of the girdle, saidfastener means comprising a row of fastener elements on eachlof saidsecondmentioned edges for connection to and disconnection from fastenerelements on the second-mentioned edge of the other section, and a slidercoacting with said rows ;of

fastener elements for connectingand. disconnecting said fastenerelements uponmovement of; th e' sliderin oppo: site directions,respectively, longitudinally of said rows of said fastener elements.

, 2. A- body-encircling garment as defined in claimv 1 wherein saidmainportion comprises inaddition to said: front zone a rear panel thatincludes a central section formed of material that is elasticlongitudinally of the garment from the upper end to the bottom end butis,

non-elastic circumferentially of the garment and two: flank sectionseach of which is elastic both longitudinally and circumferentially ofthe garment and each has one; edge stitched to one edge of the centralsection, said maint portion. also includes side-panels thatarenon-elasticcincumferentially of the garment but elasticlongitudinally of, the garment and each of which has one edge stitched,to one edge of one or said flank sections, said front zone is a, panelthat comprises'two sections elastic both longitudinally. andcircumferentially of thegarment and each of which has one edge securedto one;edgeofthe other fromgthe, upper end to the lower end of the mainportion andits; other edge secured to one edge of one of: the sidepanels, and the first-mentioned edge of eachsectiorrv of the auxiliaryabdominal support is stitched to one of. the sec-- tions of the frontpanel, and the second mentioned edges of the sections of the auxiliaryabdominal support are connected together and to the front panel of thernain por; tion between saidtfastener and thelower end of; the mainportion. v

, References Cited bytlieEiantiner UNITED STATES PATENTS V r 2,603,7877/52 -Leventhal l28-532 2,633,575 4/53 Hickey 128-560 2,980,111 4/61Langman l28, 566 3,098,486 7/ 63 Dorsey 1285 21 FOREIGN PATENTS 356, 1019/61 Switzerland.

ADELE M; EAGER, PrimaryExaminer.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,177,877 I April 15, 1965 Estelle Popp It is hereby certified thaterror appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and thatthe said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 54, for "upper", first occurrence, read lower Signed andsealed this 4th day of April 1967.

( L) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents EDWARD J.BRENNER

1. A BODY-ENCIRCLING GARMENT INCLUDING A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CONTINUOUSEXPANDIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE MAIN PORTION HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS ANDFRONT ZONE THAT IS EXPANDIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE BOTH LONGITUDINALLY ANDCIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE MAIN PORTION, AND AN AUXILIARY ABDOMINALSUPPORT COMPRISING TWO NON-STRETCHABLE SECTIONS IN PARTIALLY OVERLYINGRELATION TO SAID FRONT ZONE, EACH CONNECTED CONTINUOUSLY ALONG ONE EDGETO SAID MAIN PORTION BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER ENDS AND HAVING ANOPPOSITE EDGE CONNECTED TO SAID MAIN PORTION FROM THE UPPER END TO APOINT BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER ENDS AND OTHERWISE FREE OF SAID MAINPORTION AND FREE FROM THE CORRESPONDING EDGE OF THE OTHER SECTION, THESECONDMENTIONED EDGES OF SAID SECTIONS BEING NORMALLY PULLED AWAY FROMEACH OTHER FROM SAID POINT TO THE UPPER END OF THE MAIN PORTION UPONEXPANSION OF THE MAIN PORTION, AND A FASTENER MEANS TO PULL AND CONNECTSAID SECONDMENTIONED EDGES TOGETHER AND THEREBY LIMIT STRETCHING OF SAIDMAIN PORTION BETWEEN THE POINTS OF CONNECTION THERETO OF SAID SECTIONSOF THE AUXILIARY ABDOMINAL SUPPORT WHILE SAID SECOND-MENTIONED EDGES ARECONNECTED AND AT THE SAME TIME EXERT A FLATTENING ACTION ON THEABDOMINAL WALL OF THE WEARER OF THE GIRDLE, SAID FASTENER MEANSCOMPRISING A ROW OF FASTENER ELEMENTS ON EACH OF SAID SECONDMENTIONEDEDGES FOR CONNECTION TO AND DISCONNECTION FROM FASTENER ELEMENTS ON THESECOND-MENTIONED EDGE OF THE OTHER SECTION, AND A SLIDER COACTING WITHSAID ROWS OF FASTENER ELEMENTS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING SAIDFASTENER ELEMENTS UPON MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDER IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS,RESPECTIVELY, LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ROWS OF SAID FASTENER ELEMENTS.